Page 117 of Confessions of a Virgin on a Dating App
Then I saw it. A sleek grand piano, tucked away in the corner of the lobby, with glistening white keys and an empty bench.
Devin quietly excused himself, and we all watched curiously as he walked over and settled himself in front of the piano.
He’d mentioned he used to play on our first date. But in the six months we’d been together, he’d never had an opportunity to showcase it.
I watched as he shifted in his seat, making himself comfortable, and propped his outstretched fingers on the keys. I watched, transfixed, as they danced slowly and deliberately across each note, the tune growing more familiar in my ears with every tap of the keys.
This is a Christmas song.
Wait… I know this.
I took a seat on the bench next to Devin. That was another thing we both had in common from our childhoods: church music. He had played piano, and I sang in the choir.
I pushed the words out, deep but gentle, and began the first few verses of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” I saw Devin’s focused face break into a beaming grin as he played, and my whole family listened to our little concert in amazement. Even a few stray hotel guests stopped and watched us.
When the last word was sung and the last note played, a small chorus of applause emanated from our little audience.Devin’s grin grew wider as he wrapped an arm around me and nuzzled his lips against my cheek.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too.”
I looked up, with Devin’s arm still wrapped around my shoulder, and noticed something that made my heart flutter with hope.
My dad, like everyone else, was clapping.
But he was also smiling. At Devin.
“That was impressive, son,” he nodded at Devin as we stood up from the bench. “Where did you learn to play like that?”
“Years of lessons,” Devin chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “And years of playing in my dad’s church.”
“Your dad’s church?”
“Yes,” Devin nodded. “My father is a pastor.”
My dad raised a curious eyebrow. I swore I could see the gears turning behind his usually steely eyes. As if he were slowly realizing that there was more to my boyfriend than he’d initially assumed.
And as we walked down the hotel hallways, eager to eat dinner at one of the restaurants after a long day at the park, I noticed Devin up ahead. He walked next to my father, shoulder to shoulder, with the two of them engaged in conversation.
Six months ago, my father had nearly insulted Devin to tears.
Now he wastalkingto him. Nodding. Smiling.
And it made me smile too. I knew change was less of a tidal wave and more of a subtle current, slowly pulling people along before they even realized what was happening. It would take a long time before my father truly accepted Devin as a member of the family.
But this? This was a start.
Now,several hours later, we were home, exhausted, full, and ready to settle into each other’s arms. Our family had grown just a month earlier; as we laid down in bed, I could see two beady-eyed faces peeking out from behind Devin’s old wire cage in the corner. Spending so much time at Devin’s townhouse and hanging out with Gideon had made me realize how much I wanted a pet for myself. I spent weeks debating what to get, until a pair of two-year-old ferrets showed up in a social media marketplace ad. They were females, one dark brown and one cinnamon. I had named them Sylvie and Lyra, after two of my favoriteCreatures & Cryptscharacters. I smiled at their adorable little faces and made a mental note to clean their litter box and let them out for exercise in the morning.
Devin’s bedroom was dark, except for the boxy glow of Alistair’s tank. But in just a few minutes, when the clock struck nine, the heat bulb would turn off for the night, leaving us shrouded in inky darkness.
My thoughts returned to the present. I focused on the feeling of Devin’s fingers through my curly hair, his sweatshirt fabric against my cheek, and the softness of the plush duvet enveloping us both. It had been a long day, and my tired body longed to fall asleep in his arms.
But I couldn’t.
Because tonight was a special night.
It was Christmas Eve, our first one together.
